'Biloxi Blues' takes the MSU Riley Center Stage

March 1, 2013

The Montana Repertory Theatre will perform “Biloxi Blues” at the MSU Riley Center in downtown Meridian on Thursday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Prolific and renowned playwright Neil Simon puts a lot of himself and his experiences into his plays, but the three works known as his “Eugene trilogy” most likely tell the most about Simon’s own life.

In the middle of the trifecta is “Biloxi Blues,” which drops Eugene Morris Jerome into Biloxi, Miss., for his basic training.

On Thursday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m., the Montana Repertory Theatre performs its rendition of “Biloxi Blues” at the MSU Riley Center in downtown Meridian.

Simon himself enlisted in the Army in 1945, but World War II soon ended and he never saw any action. The characters he creates in “Biloxi Blues” spend the hot Mississippi summer debating various topics and being terrorized by a cruel drill sergeant.

Coming to boot camp in Biloxi as a World War II Army recruit is a bit of culture shock for Eugene, a Jew from Brooklyn. Simon’s hit play follows Eugene’s impressions -- always funny, often obscene, and sometimes heart wrenching -- of his wartime experience. With its mature content and language, this play is best enjoyed by older theater-goers.

Tickets are $30 and $24 at the MSU Riley Center box office, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets can be purchased online at www.msurileycenter.com or by calling the box office at 601-696-2200.